Magic Chronical
by Teefa and Co
Summary: AU. When a young slave tastes freedom for the first time, he meets a girl who will change his life forever, and finds a destiny that defies fate. B/L, with a little Br/N, J/OC, L/OC. And gratuitous Harry bashing of course. COMPLETE
1. The Slave

The Slave  
  
The fire was rising above the small town. People were running away from their homes, fearing for their futures. A blond woman was clutching a small bundle in her arms. She looked as if what was in that package was more important than life itself.  
  
Suddenly, she fell. A young soldier with a sword stood behind, his blade wet with the woman's blood. He kicked the woman across the ground. Then he stepped on her stomach, and smirked. "Foolish woman, if you hadn't resisted, you wouldn't have died," he said.  
  
Another man walked up to him-obviously his superior officer. The first man saluted. "She's dead," he told his superior.  
  
The commander walked up to the woman. He began prying her hands loose on her bundle. Then, he took whatever it was, and walked away.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey Bit.wake up," begged his friend Scott, "You don't want to get in trouble with the master for sleeping in, do you?"  
  
Bit stirred from his sleep. He and Scott were slaves in the palace of King Vector Vilyane of the Vilyane Empire. Both boys were sixteen years old. Unlike his friend, Bit didn't know what freedom was. He'd been a slave since he was only an infant. Scott, on the other hand, had been taken from his family at age seven because his father owed the emperor a debt. But both boys were loyal to their master-Scott because of loyalty to his father, and Bit because he had nowhere else to go. They were also very much trusted, and were given many important tasks-and avoided beatings.  
  
"Sorry Scott, I was dreaming," he replied. Scott knew this too well. Bit was often in another world when not working. He'd always believed that it was because his young friend didn't know who his real parents were or where he came from.  
  
Their taskmaster came into the room at the moment. Instantly, both boys were down on the ground, kneeling-slaves treated their taskmasters as if they were the king himself. He told the boys, "I have a job for you. You are to each take a sword, and defend the royal trader caravan. Monsters have been reported in the area, and I'm not taking any chances."  
  
The boys smiled. Being as trusted as they were, they were allowed to carry a sword and defend royal caravans. Many slaves were prohibited from such an honor, as they'd use their swords to incite rebellion. They ran into the changing room to get armed.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey Bit, isn't this great?" asked Scott. They had been traveling with the caravan for about a week now. Scott was allowing the wind to blow his long red hair around. It was one of his favorite feelings in the whole world.  
  
Bit nodded. He loved jobs like this, as he got the opportunity to get outside. But today all he wanted to think about was his dream. Never in his life did he have such a dream before. The soldiers were from the Vilyane army all right. Was this a premonition of an imminent attack on their neighboring country-and usual enemy-Jatiran?  
  
Suddenly, the lead wagon in the caravan stopped short. The leader got out of his wagon and began inspecting what was ahead. It appeared to be a Vilyane patrol, but something was wrong. They weren't moving at all. Usually they asked to see the ID of any caravan that came by. His eyes went wide.all of these men had been turned to stone! The leader turned to his men. "Get some Softeners from the caravan!" he ordered, "We need to save these people."  
  
Bit and Scott did just that. But while they were unloading the Softeners, they heard the caravan leader scream. Scott dropped the box-on poor Bit's foot actually-and turned to see what was going on. Before them, stood a giant dragon! It blew a breath of stones at the caravan. Although the two boys were uninjured, everyone else in the caravan was petrified instantly. Most didn't even have time to scream before the spell overtook them.  
  
"Bit we better get our swords out. We can give them the Softeners after the threat is eliminated," stated Scott. He pulled his sword out of his sheath, and Bit followed suit. The two boys then turned to face the monster.  
  
The dragon looked at the boys with the look a human gave to a fly. He then blew his stone breath at the boys. Bit effortlessly dodged the attack, but Scott wasn't as lucky. When the dragon's breath ceased, Scott stood there, as still as stone.  
  
"Scott! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Bit. He turned to face the dragon again. "You're gonna pay for that pal."  
  
The dragon didn't take the threat seriously. After all, he was a mighty Stone Dragon who'd lived hundreds of years terrifying and petrifying humans. And Bit was but a human boy whose swordsmanship would be average at best. How could such an insignificant creature defeat a mighty beast like himself in a real battle?  
  
But the monster severely underestimated Bit's abilities. While he was still laughing at the boy's jest, Bit ran forward with his sword drawn. He jumped high in the air, and onto the dragon's back. Then, Bit plunged his sword deep into the monster's scales.  
  
The dragon hadn't expected this. He let out cries of agony as Bit sliced open his back. Dragon blood spilled out along the road. Soon, the beast could no longer stand. He fell forward-right onto the crates containing the softeners.  
  
"Ooops," said Bit, "Better get to a town in order to get some help for these people." He picked up his sword, and began to head for the nearest town on the map.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, I got the idea for this because I'm an RPG fanatic. The full story I've cooked up sounds like something out of an RPG, so I decided to use it for an AU Zoids fic. Next chapter, Bit meets someone who'll change his life forever. 


	2. A New Friend For Bit

A New Friend For Bit  
  
Bit ran all the way to the next town. Once there, he ran to the general store. "I need help! An imperial patrol and an imperial caravan were turned to stone by a monster. All of our Softeners were crushed when the beast died. I need to purchase some Softeners, but I don't have any money. So can you accept an IOU from the caravan leader?" he asked.  
  
"Say no more," said the manager, "I'll be happy to go there myself. We'll just take all of the people to the clinic in town. Come with me, I'm going to get help to bring them all in." He then went to recruit some townspeople to help.  
  
* * *  
  
A few hours later, all of the people in the caravan were getting treated in the clinic. Bit was standing by Scott's side, trying to help his friend in anyway he could. Scott was no longer a statue, but he was still sleeping. Bit was beginning to worry about his best friend. He turned towards the doctor, and inquired, "When will he get better?"  
  
"It'll take a few more days," replied the doctor, "These people are still weak from the petrifaction. They need to rest and relax."  
  
"But I need to get back to the capital!" yelled Bit.  
  
The doctor sighed. "Just take the road you came here on. It shouldn't take more than two weeks of traveling to get there."  
  
* * *  
  
What Bit hadn't realized that the road split into two about a day later. He couldn't remember which road the caravan had come from, as he'd been asleep at the time. So he figured out where to go by using the age- old secret.  
  
"Eeny, Meny, Miny, Mo. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eeny, Meny, Miny, Mo," chanted Bit. In the end, he landed on the right path. Then, he turned right, and walked down his chosen path.  
  
* * *  
  
A day later, Bit came to an old fortress. It looked like it had been burned down recently. Since he knew he might have been asleep at the time he passed it before, Bit couldn't tell if he'd taken a wrong turn. So he passed by the fortress and continued onwards.  
  
Soon, Bit felt as if the ground was covered with dry brush. It also felt as if he was standing on air. Before Bit could figure out what was going on, the ground dropped out from under him. He fell down a hole, and landed at the bottom of the pit.  
  
As Bit tried to assess his situation, he heard a woman's voice from above. "Well, well, well, look at what I caught in my hunting trap. A foolish imperial soldier. Maybe now dad and Leon will treat me with some respect. Come up now, I'm taking you back to the capital."  
  
She lowered a rope, and Bit climbed up. When he saw the girl, he was quite amazed. She was about sixteen years old, and was wearing a bright yellow sleeveless dress with what looked like golden threads mixed in for the effect. Her eyes were an ethereal violet shade, and her hair was short and magenta colored. Adorning her head was a red jewel with two golden marbles and a pair of purple sticks magically orbiting it. A black choker rested on her neck. In her hand, the girl held a rod like the kind used by sorceresses. The girl studied Bit. He wasn't wearing the traditional armor of an imperial soldier. It looked too worn for a soldier on patrol. And under it wasn't the typical royal tunic and breeches, but ragged clothing like that worn by a poor man. In fact, the only thing that looked like wealth on him was the jeweled collar on his neck. Even his sword was battered.  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded, "You don't look like an imperial soldier, but you came from the direction of the empire."  
  
Bit replied, "I'm a slave in the imperial palace. But the caravan I was working on was attacked by a monster, and I'm the only one whose sill healthy. I'm trying to find my way back home. But I guess I took a wrong turn. Sorry to bother you miss." He turned to head back the way he came in order to return to the fork in the road and go the other way.  
  
The girl grabbed Bit's arm. "Don't go. You're just a slave in the empire. You can come back to Jatiran City with me and start a new life for yourself."  
  
"But I don't know what freedom is," confessed Bit, "I've been a slave ever since I was an infant. How can I life without someone to direct my life."  
  
The girl told him, "I can help you. My name is Leena Toros, the daughter of one of the richest families in all of Jatiran. My father wants me to get myself a bodyguard, and I can hire you. You'd have a direction in life, but would also be able to live free."  
  
Bit considered her offer. The young girl did seem like a nice person. Also, Bit had always wondered what "freedom" was like, albeit he didn't want to betray the people who had raised him. He had also heard stories about slaves who showed such loyalty to there masters-by saving their lives when they very well could have escaped slavery-that they were granted their freedom. What Bit had done seemed to fit that bill, so he was technically free now. That meant that him going with Leena wouldn't be betraying his master.  
  
"I've just one thing to say before I go back with you," he replied, "My name is Bit Cloud. I'm sure we'll get along great together."  
  
Leena smiled. She wanted a bodyguard who'd be able to act like a friend to her. Bit seemed like he would do this for her. As well as help her with a little problem that she'd been having for some time now. Only he could keep the problem under control.  
  
- - - -  
  
So what is Leena's problem? And what will she tell her dad about her new bodyguard? These answers and more in the next chapter. 


	3. The Bodyguard

The Bodyguard  
  
Bit and Leena soon arrived in Jatiran City. It was Wednesday, and the streets were filled with people. The former slave had to be restrained from staring. He'd never seen so much activity in his whole life, as slaves did tend to live in solitude.  
  
First Leena took Bit to the clothing store to get something better to wear. He dawdled for about a half-hour before finally picking up a white tunic and black breeches. When he left the changing room, Leena's eyes went wide. She never thought anyone could ever be this handsome.  
  
After shopping, Leena took Bit back with her to her home. Immediately, she went to tell her father what was going on. She found Toros in his workroom playing with wooden warrior dolls-fighting dolls that represented monsters. He didn't even notice his daughter's entrance.  
  
"Dad, I found a bodyguard," announced Leena.  
  
That made Toros look up from his models. He eyed Bit for a little while, and smiled. Bit felt nervous just standing there. "Good Leena," he replied, "The armor is up in the attic. What's this boy's name anyway?"  
  
Leena told her father, "His name is Bit Cloud."  
  
* * *  
  
"What's with your dad anyway? He's so out of it. I mean no disrespect, but I've never met a grown man who plays with children's toys," inquired Bit.  
  
Leena answered, "He's just always been that way ever since I can remember. Well my mother died when I was small, so I never could ask her what she saw in him in the first place. I certainly don't think this is very funny."  
  
They were in the attic trying to find the armor that Toros was talking about. But neither Bit nor Leena had the slightest idea of where he'd put it. At last, Leena opened an old trunk, and two sets of dull gray armor spilled out. With each set, there was a breastplate, gauntlets, and boots.  
  
"Bit," said Leena, "Why don't you put one of the sets on, and I'll try on the other. I've always wanted to wear armor."  
  
So they tried on the two sets. But just as they'd put the armor on their bodies, something strange happened. All of the armor Bit was wearing turned silver, while the pieces Leena had put on turned gold. In trying to experiment, they changed gauntlets. Once again, the ones Bit wore turned silver, while the ones Leena had on turned gold. They changed gauntlets again, and again the two pairs changed color when coming in contact with the wearer's skin.  
  
"Is it us?" asked Leena.  
  
Bit shrugged. It was quite strange for armor to change color like that. Especially when it changed to a different color when worn by a different person. "I don't know, but neither do I really care. It's armor, isn't it? So that means I'm protected, and so are you."  
  
* *  
  
The duo sat in Leena's room to ponder the magical armor. Leena had asked her father about it, but he didn't know either. Toros told her that he'd brought it off a traveling merchant he'd met before he met Leena's mom. But for some reason they wouldn't let him wear either of them. So the two sets were left in the attic to collect dust. A ladder hitting the windowsill interrupted their reverie. A voice rang up from the outside saying, "Leena, I'm coming to see you."  
  
"Bit, you have to take care of this for me," said Leena.  
  
So Bit stuck his head out of the window. He saw a young man about a year older than him climbing up the window. The man had on a white long sleeved shirt and brown breeches. His vest was silver with gold lining around the edges, and his gauntlets and boots were pure gold. The hair on his head was brown and his eyes were blue.  
  
"Hey you!" yelled the man, "What are you doing in the room of my Leena?"  
  
"I'm her bodyguard," replied Bit, "And just who in the world are you?"  
  
The man scrambled to the top of the ladder and entered the room. "My name's Harry Champ. I'm the son of one of the most wealthy and respected merchants around. I've come to ask Leena for her hand in marriage."  
  
Leena marked something off on a tally she'd been keeping. "Well, that's five times already this week. And it's only Wednesday. So I'll give you my usual answer.NO! Now I've got a bodyguard, so I'd advise cooling your heels or I'll have Bit beat you up."  
  
Harry grumbled something about Bit stealing his girl. He gave Bit a sour glare and turned back towards the window. Then, he left the house.  
  
"Who was that?" asked Bit.  
  
"He's just the local moron who has this crush on me," answered Leena, "But he's also the most chauvinistic man I've ever met. So I just tell him off every time he comes. That's the problem I was telling you about on the way here. Do you think you can take care of him for me?"  
  
Bit told her, "Just leave it to me."  
  
At that moment Toros came in. He was carrying a dull gray long-sword and a dull gray wand in his hands. "Since you two can use the armors, I was thinking you could use the weapons that came with them." He handed the sword to Bit and the want to Leena.  
  
At once, the two weapons blazed with light. When it cleared, they too had changed color. The sword was now silver with a blue gem on the hilt. The wand was gold with a magenta jewel topping it. Around the jewel on the wand was a golden piece that looked like a crescent moon. In fact, it was as if the jewel was the night sky, eclipsing the moon.  
  
"The sword is called Panzer," Toros informed them, "And the wand is called Selena. I'm sure these weapons will be useful."  
  
- - - -  
  
I want to know how many people honestly thought that Harry would be Leena's problem? Well, I figured I'd just make him do stupid things like always and get himself into trouble. And Toros plays with Dolls since there's no Zoid models in this time period. The weapons are-as you can see-named after their Ultimate Xs' third conversions (read my fanfic Legend of the Organoid to find out about Leena's Ultimate X). 


	4. Vilyane Attack

Vilyane Attack  
  
Over the next few days, Bit practiced with his sword. He often teamed up with Leena's older brother for training exercises. Leon had gray eyes and brown hair, and wore blue breeches and a white tunic. His armor was of steel, and had shoulder guards, as well as boots and gauntlets. As a weapon, Leon wielded a spear. On the spear blade, shoulder guards, and at the center of the breastplate, was a golden triangle-the symbol of Jatiran.  
  
Leon and Bit were just finishing a training exercise one day when Harry came over. He called, "Bit Cloud, I challenge you to a sword duel. Winner takes Leena."  
  
"Whatever Harry," groaned Bit. This happened almost every day, and the results were always the same. Harry would act to hasty, and would find himself on the floor with his sword out of his hands, and Bit walking inside for a cool drink. Today was no exception. In less than five seconds, Harry had already lost the match.  
  
"I'll get you one day Bit," screamed Harry, "Just you wait."  
  
* * *  
  
Between Leon's training and Harry's duels, Bit was getting much stronger by the day. Leena too was improving-she was taking classes in sorcery, and took to it like a duck to water. Together, they would go into the woods just outside of town and fight off monsters in order to protect the town. Every time they did that, neither of them came back with as much as a scratch on them.  
  
One day, they met a young woman in the forest. She seemed like some sort of traveler, thought Bit didn't know where she came from. Her eyes was a pinkish/purple shade, and her red hair fell just beyond her shoulders- where it was spiked in a circular fashion. She had on a black skirt, and a red tunic that was cut at the arms, collar, and bottom in order to appear like it was spiked. The gauntlets and boots were red as well, with a spiked appearance on the end. In her hair was a green gem, and around her head was a black band. The sword she carried was a red Katana. But the strangest thing was the fact that her ears were pointed.  
  
"My name is Naomi Flugel of the Senserian race," she announced, "I have come with an urgent message for the king of Jatiran."  
  
"What's a Senserian?" inquired Bit.  
  
Naomi replied, "We're like Elves, but our lifespan is like that of humans. You could say that we're half-elves. Hey kid, would you like me to get that collar off of you?"  
  
"Why?" asked Bit.  
  
"It's a symbol of slavery," said Naomi, "If I were you, I wouldn't want to be stuck with such a thing on my body. Luckily, I have some tools in my pack."  
  
Bit consented, and within minutes it was off. Then, Naomi began to walk with them to the town. "We Senserians are able to feel things that humans cannot. Our senses are also sharper-like that of our Elfin cousins. Thus the name, Senserian. You see, we've recently sensed that there will be a major invasion from Vilyane in the near future. So I was sent to warn your king of the imminent danger. I do hope that we can make it in time," she confessed.  
  
But when they came out of the forest, they saw Naomi's fears had come to light. The city was burning and the Vilyane army was ransacking it. Bodies of soldiers were everywhere, and Bit nearly lost his breakfast looking at them. But that wasn't the worst part. Above the castle-where the Jatiran flag was hung-flew the flag of Vilyane.  
  
"Leon, dad," cried Leena. Bit took off his armor, and let her cry in his tunic. "Thanks Bit, I don't know what I'd ever do without you."  
  
Suddenly, they heard a voice telling them to halt. Up ran a group of guards, ready for battle. "You have three seconds to surrender and submit to us or else it will get rough."  
  
"Then let it," said Bit, "I'd rather go out fighting to protect my friends than see them in chains. I warn you, I'm no pushover."  
  
"Then die boy," yelled the guard captain. He and his companions began to get into formation and charge the trio. Bit and Naomi began to fight back with their swords, while Leena cast spells on the enemies, and causing mass destruction.  
  
Soon all of the guards were dead. Bit, Leena, and Naomi ran for the forest in order to hide. Just as they predicted, the patrol that came by soon afterwards passed right over them, and never even noticed they were there.  
  
Bit breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's go, I'm sure there are more survivors who thought as we did."  
  
His words were rewarded. Soon afterwards, the trio came across a camp that had recently been constructed. The armor of a Jatiran soldier lay on the ground nearby. And sitting in front of the fire cooking dinner was Leon.  
  
"Leon," called Leena. She ran over to him and gave her brother a big hug. "I worried that you'd been killed. Were you hurt?"  
  
"Slow down Leena. Well, I managed to escape after the city fell, and came here to look for you. We have to do something, I don't think the king of Vilyane wants to have afternoon tea with the people he captured," said Leon.  
  
Naomi spoke up, "How about my village? I'm sure the Senserians will be able to help free Jatiran City from Vilyane's control."  
  
Bit looked at the others. "I'm with Naomi. We have to do everything we can. After gaining the help of some others, maybe we can win our home back." Leon and Leena looked back at him, and agreed. So the next day, they were on the road to the village of the Senserians.  
  
- - - -  
  
Oooh, an invasion. Here's where the adventure starts. Don't worry, Brad and Jamie are coming in soon-along with my Ocs. 


	5. Senserian Village

Senserian Village  
  
The next day, the warriors were on their way to Naomi's village. Everyone took as much as they could carry, and headed out at dawn. Bit took a last look behind at the city. 'Was my dream predicting this,' he thought.  
  
"Hey Naomi, I've been meaning to ask you something. What is that sword of yours made out of?" asked Leena.  
  
"Crimson," replied Nomi, "It's a metal we Senserians make. I call this baby Comet. What do you call your weapons?"  
  
"Selena," said Leena.  
  
Bit told her, "Panzer."  
  
"Blade," answered Leon, "What, can't I call a spear Blade?"  
  
"Let's just go," groaned Naomi.  
  
A few hours later, Naomi called, "Whoever you are, you better come out now." She looked at a bush that's leaves were making more noise than a squirrel, but less noise than a bear. "If you don't come out, I'll come in after you."  
  
Out popped Harry. He ran to Leena and gave her a hug. Needless to say, she wasn't a very happy girl about that time. Bit and Leon began motioning to Harry in order to warn him, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Naomi just looked at him as if he was crazy.  
  
"Harry, I'll give you to the count of three," yelled Leena, "If I still find you groping me at that time, you're a dead man. One.two.three.that's it Harry, now you're in for it!" She pushed him to the ground, and then cast a Fire spell on him. Harry ran around the clearing with his bottom side on fire for a few minutes, while Leena and the others continued onwards.  
  
"Who was that?" inquired Naomi.  
  
"A pain in the butt with a crush on me," replied Leena, "That's enough about the King of Morons. We have to get to your village ASAP."  
  
* * *  
  
It took them about a day's worth of traveling to arrive at the village. It was hidden in a secret path in the forest only known to the residents. Once there, Naomi took them on a tour of her village. It was quite a beautiful town, full of happy people. But the four worried what would happen to the peace when the Vilyane army found this town.  
  
They then went to see the elder. She explained the situation, and asked what he could do to help them. The elder told the warriors, "There's little you can do. I'd suggest you gain allies and return with them to fight against the Vilyane army. Hopefully you can succeed."  
  
They left the elder's home feeling at a loss. None of them knew how they could convince people to fight against the mighty Vilyane army. But none of them was ready to give up either. With a little hope, a person can move mountains after all.  
  
As they walked around the village, a young man entered. He had long sandy hair and blue eyes. In his hands were a pair of steel daggers. Around his body was a light blue Kimono with a dark blue border and sash. He wore a pair of dark blue slipper-shoes on his feet. A closer look revealed that he was wounded. After walking a few more steps, the man fainted.  
  
"Quickly, let's get him inside," said Naomi.  
  
* * *  
  
When the man woke up, he saw the four warriors lounging about the room. All of his wounds were healed up with some Senserian herbs. "Where am I?" he inquired, "Last thing I remember was escaping the Vilyane army by falling in a bush at the side of the road."  
  
"You're in the village of Senserians, Marika. We found you fainted near the gates of town. Then my companions and I treated your wounds," replied Naomi.  
  
The man told them his story. His name was Brad Hunter, a mercenary. Recently, he had been hired by the Jatiran Royal Family in order to protect them from Vilyane. But he had failed and was forced to run for his life. A few soldiers had seen him, and tried to give chase. Brad evaded them, but took some licks in the process. When it became clear that he wouldn't be able to outrun them, he'd panicked and fell into a bush. Then he walked down the path he'd found after his fall, since the guards didn't seem to see it.  
  
"We hid it on purpose," replied Naomi, "It protects us from invaders. Well I'm Naomi, and these are my friends Bit, Leena, and Leon."  
  
"The Toros children!" exclaimed Brad.  
  
Leena told him, "Bit and I were in the forest during the attack. We met with Naomi while there, and later on-after fleeing from guards-Leon. Then we headed here to look for help. On the advice of the elder, we plan to get a group of warriors together and attack the Vilyane army head on. Would you be willing to aid us in our quest?"  
  
"Say no more, I'm in," replied Brad, "I want to give those creeps back what they gave to me. Besides, the King of Jatiran may offer us a reward for freeing the country. And if it says money, you can bet that Brad Hunter will be there."  
  
"Then let's go and find us some other allies," suggested Bit.  
  
"We can't do it with just the five of us," added Leena, "There's a whole army over there to fight. We need a few more helpers and a good plan."  
  
Leon said, "The plan can come later. Right now it's important for us to find allies to help us in this endeavor. So let's get going."  
  
- - - -  
  
Well what did you think, Brad's in it for the charity? Had to keep his money hungry personality in this. It'll make for some comedy later on. 


	6. Beast Woman

Beast Woman  
  
After leaving Marika, the intrepid group of heroes headed up towards the Peak of Despair. Over the peaks was the village of Elves, Elveria. Even if the elves refused to fight with the humans-as was their usual policy-they were sure to shed some light on Vilyane's intentions using their highly advanced magical skills.  
  
But on the way up the mountains, an avalanche blocked the only available path to them. This left our intrepid heroes stuck up in the mountains for at leas one night. So they began pitching a tent and making the best of their situation.  
  
As Leena slept, her dreams were invaded with terrifying scenes. She saw a short young woman with long orange/red hair and a long blond haired man. They were wearing the same armor as Bit and Leena and were in the heat of a battle with some kind of demon in the shadows. Eventually, the man's sword and woman's magic vanquished the demon. But the monster had caused much death and destruction before its death, so fire and bodies were everywhere in the village.  
  
The next day, both Leena and Bit woke up at the same time. "I had a strange dream Bit," she told him, "There was this demon, and these warriors."  
  
"What! You had the same dream?!" inquired a surprised Bit.  
  
Leena replied, "I take it you had it too. The strangest part is that it looked familiar to me, as if I'd lived through such despair before."  
  
"I agree with that," said Bit.  
  
Suddenly, they heard a growl from around the corner. A woman's voice asked, "Why have you humans come to the sacred land of the Berserkers?" Before they could reply, a strange woman with short blond hair jumped out in front of them on the now cleared path. She looked like a human, except her ears and green eyes were like that of a lion, and she sported a lion's tail. Her armor was a strange type. It looked like one of those Amazon dresses, except it was a light gold color. Bordering the sleeves was a stripe of gold, as well as around the waistline and above the brestline. Her boots and gauntlets were the same color as the armor, except that half the arm or leg guard pieces was gold. The woman carried a large ax with a golden handle, and a blade the same color as the armor with a triangular section of gold at the striking end. Around her head she wore a headband that was like her armor, with a golden jewel in the center of it. Under the armor was a pair of green pants.  
  
"I repeat, why have you humans come to the sacred land of the Berserkers," she demanded, "Speak now, and I might spare your lives."  
  
"Well.we're on our way to Elveria in order to ask the elves to divine the reasons for Vilyane's attack on Jatiran. Knowing that, we hope to push them out of the city and free our friends and families trapped inside," answered Leena.  
  
But the beast woman was no longer growling at them. She was staring intently at Bit and Leena and sniffing their armor. "You must be pure souls," she told them, "Or else the Mythril in your armor would repel your body when you tried to put it on."  
  
Leena asked, "What's Mythril? I've never heard of that metal. My dad just had these old things in his attic and gave them to Bit and myself. Does it have something to do with why the armor changes color when we put it on?"  
  
The girl nodded her head. "Mythril is a sacred metal that was created by the Berserkers in ancient times. It turns gold when worn by a woman and silver when worn by a man. There's not much left nowadays, so we mix it with other metals, like my diamond and Mythril armor and ax. But you seem to have a pair of ancient sets made of pure Mythril."  
  
Bit and Leena looked at the lion girl. She seemed to be nice, but they'd never seen a creature that looked like her before. "Miss.what are Berserkers anyway? We've never heard of such a race in our lives," admitted Leena.  
  
The girl replied, "We are a race of humans with cat eyes, ears, and a tail. In my case, I'm a Lion Berserker, while my kid sister is a Panther Berserker. Well, I'm Julianna Alexis, what might your names be, those chosen by the Mythril armors?"  
  
"Bit Cloud," said Bit, "And this girl is Leena Toros. I'm her bodyguard back in Jatiran. The man with the dark brown hair sleeping over there is her brother Leon. The other man is Brad Hunter. And finally, the Senserian woman is Naomi Flugel."  
  
"Let's wake them up then. We must tell the elder of the Berserkers' village about what is happening," vowed Julianna.  
  
* * *  
  
After rousing the other three from their sleep and introducing Julianna, our heroes were off on their way to the Berserkers' village. It wasn't much further up the mountain, although the snow that had fallen was quite deep. The six were forced to wade across the path that led up the mountain in order to continue onward.  
  
Finally, they'd arrived at the village. Immediately, Julianna took her new friends to the house of the elder. He was a broad man with a tiger's eyes, ears, and tail. Upon seeing the armor Bit and Leena were wearing, he was shocked. "So these are the legendary warriors who'll come to our village wearing the sacred armor," he mumbled.  
  
"What legendary warriors old man?" asked Bit, "We're just trying to save our home from the evil empire of Vilyane."  
  
The elder replied, "It's a legend that takes place thousands of years ago when a demon ruled the world. It speaks of two pure hearts that were able to wield the power of Mythril even though they were not Berserkers."  
  
"Tell us the tale. We want to hear it," begged Leena.  
  
The old man looked at her. "Well ok young lady. Now.where should I begin."  
  
- - - -  
  
I know I'm so going to get it for the cliff hanger. Oh, and the people in Leena and Bit's dream are supposed to look like Lina and Gourry from The Slayers-but they're totally different people. I'm just on a Slayers kick at the moment (anything that involves a girl beating things up and being able to take care of herself in a fight is appealing to me). 


	7. Legend of the Berserkers

Legend of the Berserkers  
  
"Thousands of years ago, there was a powerful demon," began the elder, "He had been sealed underground until being released by some foolish miners trying to dig for diamonds. Immediately he began to seek out places to bring death and destruction."  
  
"So where do the armors we wear come into play?" asked Bit.  
  
The elder told him, "Have patience young one. You know the world wasn't built in a day."  
  
"Sorry, I'm just curious," he replied.  
  
"Well, now where was I? Ah, I know," the elder continued, "Well, there were these two youths from a small human village named Lesalia and Gabriel. They were best friends and always went everywhere together. One day, they saw a Berserker caravan that had been destroyed by the demon. On closer inspection, they saw two pairs of Mythril armor as well as a sword and wand. Somehow, the Mythril accepted them-usually it would only let Berserkers wear it. They then returned home to find their entire village destroyed by the demon. Lesalia and Gabriel vowed from then on to fight and rid the world of the demon so others wouldn't have to feel their pain."  
  
"What a monster, slaying innocent villages," commented Bit.  
  
Leena said, "Bit, it wouldn't be a demon if it didn't do that. All their race does is go around killing innocent people and torching villages to the ground."  
  
"Well excuse me for living a sheltered life as a slave," he quipped back at her.  
  
The elder didn't look too pleased at their bickering. "May I continue with my story, or is this argument much better entertainment to you both?" he inquired.  
  
"No sir," they chorused, "It's not very interesting."  
  
The elder looked at them. "That's better. Well, Lesalia and Gabriel journeyed far and wide in search of the demon. Along the way, they faced his minions, who also were out destroying things, just on a much smaller level of power than their master. Eventually, they found him disguised as an advisor for the emperor of the Chitian Empire in the far north. Using the demon's strength, the emperor was able to invade territory after territory of his enemies. Using the empire's army, the demon was able to gain the pleasure he craved of slaughtering innocent lives."  
  
"How was he eventually stopped?" asked Naomi.  
  
"He betrayed the emperor," said the elder, "When they acquired an ancient fortress capable of destroying the world, he killed the emperor and took the power for himself. But Lesalia and Gabriel followed him onto the fortress with the help of their dragon companion Diana-the silver dragon-as well as the Tiger Berserker Liger, and the elf Florinda. Eventually, the four friends found the demon's inner sanctums, and the fight began. It lasted for five hours. In the end, the demon was killed. But the fortress crashed to the ground. Diana wasn't able to get her friends out on time, and all four of them passed away in the end."  
  
"So what does that have to do with us anyway? I've certainly never handled a demon before, and I'll bet that everyone in this room hasn't either. There isn't even any running around, just a crazy Vilyane emperor who wants to take control of the whole world," commented Leena.  
  
"That may be for now," reminded the elder, "But whose to say that one of his advisors isn't a demon in disguise. I think you should really look further into Vilyane's actions, and try to find the motives between the emperor's violence."  
  
Bit told him, "We were going to do that anyway."  
  
"So you were. Well, then I have a proposition to make. Why don't you take Julianna along with you on your journey? She's quite a competent fighter, and can keep a strait head no matter how much panic is occurring around her."  
  
"But grandfather." began Julianna, but the elder silenced her.  
  
"Julianna," he told her, "I know you've never left the mountain in your whole life-like most Berserkers-and have no desire to ever do so, but these are dire times. As my granddaughter-and the next elder of the village-you'll need these experiences in order to lead our people through any tough times. So you are to go with Bit, Leena, and their friends on their journey. And there will be no more questions asked of it."  
  
"Ok I'll go, but I don't have to like it," pouted Julianna.  
  
Her grandfather noticed it, and chided, "And no pouting either young lady. Jeez, couldn't you be more like your brave mother instead of your whinny little pansy of a father? I guess you can't expect miracles to happen when it comes to these things."  
  
Julianna sighed. "Just let me take Liger instead of the little ax I always use. I promise to take good care of her, and bring her back undamaged."  
  
"Ok Julianna, just bring it back safely. You know it's a family heirloom and was used by the great Berserker Liger himself in the ancient war," replied the elder.  
  
Julianna went to a small cabinet. She pulled out another diamond and Mythril ax, and put her old one back in the cabinet. This one looked the same as her old one, only it was much bigger and sharper than the other.  
  
"It's cool," commented Leon, "Where'd you get it?"  
  
Julianna told him that after the war, the armor and weapons of the heroes were recovered along with their bodies. Their families were given the bodies for burying. Liger's brother, who was the village elder, took his ax and put it in a glass case for safekeeping. It had stayed there until the present day, when she was going to bring it into battle once more.  
  
"Are you guys ready to go?" asked Bit.  
  
Julianna told him to spend the night in the Berserkers' village and get an early start in the morning. Although Bit wanted to get going immediately, he saw her reasoning. It was getting pretty late, since the elder had talked so much. And he'd been wanting a warm bed ever since leaving Marika. So he agreed and they returned to Julianna's house for the night. Again, Bit and Leena had the strange dreams. The two warriors were fighting monsters, and in the background lay a scene of utter carnage that could only come out of a horror film.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, I came up with the idea for the Berserkers from two places. First, Final Fantasy V. There was a class called Berserker, and it looked like you were wearing animal skin armor over your body. Then in the Breath of Fire series, there's a race of people called the Woren that are humanoid tigers. The legend of the demon is basically a bunch of RPG cliches thrown together into one story (evil advisor, flying animal/ship, floating fortress level, ect) and then added in a depressing ending. The names of the two ancient heroes are supposed to sound like holy names. They also appear to be variations of Lina and Gourry from Slayers-like I said before, I've just gotten hooked onto that anime after ordering a video that arrived on the sixth of July. 


	8. Mystery of the Missing Princess

Mystery of the Missing Princess  
  
The next day, the six friends left the Berserkers' Village and headed down the mountain. Because the trip down took so long, they were forced to camp at the foot of the mountain and continue onto Elveria in the morning. Bit decided to take the first watch and stood for one hour at the entrance to the camp, listening in on the sounds of the forest. When it was over, he woke up Leena, who also spent an hour on guard duty. Finally, after Julianna took her watch, the sun began to rise and she woke her companions up.  
  
"We could sleep more if some one would take two watches," grumbled Leena.  
  
"No one wants to be the one to give up their sleeping time," replied Naomi, "If we could get more volunteers, maybe we could take a longer break."  
  
Suddenly - - as if on cue - - a young boy crossed their path. He was a gray-eyed elf who wore his black hair in a spiky style on top of his head. Both his shirt and pants were green - - the shirt being a darker color than the pants - - as was the jewel on the golden earring that he wore on his left ear. A golden collar adorned his neck, and a golden plate stretched across his torso. The belt he wore was gold as well, with a silver buckle and a silver chain that was attached. The boots and gauntlets were gold with a silver lining around the top part. In his hands he carried a long bow made of mahogany wood with a silver string and arrows made of pure energy.  
  
"Excuse me," he said, "I want to know if you've seen this girl around here anywhere." The elf held up a picture of a girl elf with long blond hair and blue eyes. She wore an ornate gown with plenty of jewelry adorning her arms and neck.  
  
Bit told the boy, "Sorry, we're not from around here. You're the first elf we've seen on this journey. What's so special about this girl anyway?"  
  
"She's Princes Faricia of Elveria, and I'm her protector and fiancée Jamie Hemeros," the elf answered. He looked around the clearing, hoping to see her.  
  
"Don't worry," assured Leon, "We'll help you find her."  
  
Brad began to grumble, "There's no money in that." He was immediately silenced by Leena's basilisk glare, and said nothing more.  
  
* * *  
  
After searching along with Jamie for about an hour, they saw what appeared to be a struggle deep in the forest. "It must be Faricia!" exclaimed Jamie. He immediately began running in the direction that the kidnappers had taken. The others began to run after him.  
  
Soon they found an abandoned temple. It looked like it had been centuries since it had been visited, but the flames on the pillars were well lit. "Looks fishy to me," commented Bit, "We better go in, just incase the princess was taken here."  
  
The seven warriors ran down the corridors. Soon they came to the temple's center. A group of monsters were around an altar, poking a tall form that lay there. Moans could be heard from the victim. Jamie screamed, "Princess, I've come to save you!" Then he loaded an arrow of pure energy into his bow and launched it at the monsters.  
  
The beasts took the hint and ran at the warriors. Everyone drew their weapons and began fighting the enemy. Even though their numbers were overwhelming, the monsters didn't have much skill. It only took a few minutes for them to all be killed.  
  
"Princess!" called Jamie. He ran to the altar and began to untie the captive. "I'm so relieved that you weren't hurt in this. Please try to be more careful next time. You shouldn't run off on your own like that your. . ." He suddenly looked at the victim more clearly. "You're not the princess. You're not even a woman or an elf."  
  
"You've finally noticed that bright boy!" exclaimed an exasperated male voice from the alter. When Bit and Leena ran up to see what was going on, they saw none other that Harry tied up about to be monster chow.  
  
"Like you wouldn't have done that if I disappeared," teased Leena, "But I think I'd rather be monster food than have you rescue me."  
  
"If this isn't the princess, than whose taken her?" pondered Jamie.  
  
Suddenly a female voice rang out, "Oh Jamie.Were you that worried about me?" In came a young elf girl in a light green dress. She had an earring like Jamie's on each ear. Her gauntlets and boots were gold with silver at the toe and finger areas. A golden plate is over her chest and torso, with golden bands that attach that surrounds her neck like a long necklace, with a similar band at the bottom of the armor. Like Jamie, she wore a golden collar on her neck. She carried a crossbow that was similar to Jamie's longbow.  
  
"Faricia!" cried Jamie. He ran to his princess and bowed before her. "Thank the gods that you weren't hurt. What have you been doing all this time?"  
  
The princess replied, "I'm becoming an adventurer Jamie. They call me Fara, and am well known by all of the local villages. That's where I go whenever I run away from home. I'm in the middle of one at the moment, and can't come home now. Don't tell father, he'll get upset."  
  
Jamie looked at her. She seemed competent in a fight. It was a different look from the one he saw on her at the palace. "You can go if I go along with you. I don't wish to see you get hurt by somebody or something," he said.  
  
Fara began to cheer. Then she noticed the others standing with Jamie. "Who are they? They don't look like elves," she told him.  
  
"That's right," exclaimed Jamie, "I didn't get your names or the reason for your being in the forest of the elves in the first place."  
  
So the gang introduced themselves, and told their story. They spoke of Vilyane, and how the empire had suddenly and without reason taken over Jatiran and burned the city to the ground. Then they told of how they wished to ask the elves to delve into it.  
  
"I can do that," stated Fara. She began to concentrate, and soon was in touch with the spirits. After a few minutes, she came out of her trance, and told the gang what she'd seen. "It seems a powerful demon has joined the advisors of the Vilyane Empire. He's egging the emperor on in order to create a war in the world."  
  
"Just like the old legend!" exclaimed Julianna, "We must stop them before it turns as deadly as what happened back then."  
  
"We're coming too, we can't ignore it when demons decide to wreck havoc on this world. Consider us among your loyal allies," vowed Fara. Jamie shook his head in response.  
  
- - - -  
  
I just liked making Harry get in trouble again. I thought it would be funny to get him into trouble, while the gang thinks they're saving a damsel in distress, and the "damsel" is running around and killing monsters. Oh, and elves in this story live ten times that of humans. So that means that Jamie is physically 14, but technically 140, while Fara is physically 15, but technically 150. 


	9. Lightning

Lightning  
  
About a week later, the eight warriors had again crossed the mountains, and had arrived at the town of Resine. Harry had long since left them, after getting lost back on the Peak of Despair, which suited the whole gang just fine. Brad had broken his daggers that he called Wolf Daggers when he slipped on the glacier and had tried to use them to break his fall, and needed a replacement. He had wanted to go back to his own town since it was famous for weapons. It had been a lucky break that Jamie and Fara had been there with their bows Rey and Ptera, since Brad hadn't been able to fight with his broken daggers.  
  
Right away Brad went to order his new weapons. He learned that it'd be about a day before they were ready, and the warriors decided to wait in the village. Bit reserved a room in the inn, and they all went to go sightseeing, as everyone except Brad had never been there.  
  
While in town, Bit bumped into a young man - -not much older than he. The boy had grayish purple hair, and gray eyes. He had full body iron armor with iron gauntlets and iron boots. Around his torso a golden band with an iron plate at the front and back of his body. On the plate was a lightning bolt that was made of pure gold. A dark blue band with light blue diamonds on it adorned the man's head. With him were two young girls with light brown hair and amber eyes. Their armor was similar to his - -right down to the golden lightning plate - - except the top part of it was like a dress.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," said Bit.  
  
The man replied, "It's alright. I wasn't watching either. There's a lot on my mind at the moment, and I just want to think."  
  
Leena - - who had followed Bit - - exclaimed, "Bit, it's Jack Cisco and the Tasker Twins. They're the famous Lightning Squad in the Jatiran army. Many of our soldiers dream of the chance to meet or train under these warriors."  
  
Jack looked at the duo. "I recognize you," he told her, "You're Leon's little sister Leena. And this is your bodyguard Bit, the one who Leon trains with when not at the castle. What are the two of you doing in this town?"  
  
So Bit and Leena told of their adventures to the Lightning Squad. They spoke of the crossing of the mountains into elf territory in order to find out the intentions of Vilyane. Then they told of their findings of the demon that had taken over the emperor's intentions.  
  
"Say no more, we'll help you," stated Jack. He and the twins then returned to the inn with Bit and Leena in order to talk to the others.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day, Brad went to the blacksmith in order to pick up his new weapons. These daggers steel like the others, but were black steel. "I'll call them Shadow Daggers," he told the blacksmith. Then he went to show them to his friends.  
  
Everyone congratulated Brad on his new weapons. Then they prepared to head on out and go towards Vilyane. With Jack and the Taskers traveling with the group now, their strength had increased tenfold. So many monsters avoided the eleven.  
  
But one problem still arose as they traveled onwards. When they'd almost arrived at the border, a telltale voice rang out, "Leeeeeeeeena." At once, Harry ran up to Leena, and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry I lost you back on the mountain. But my love has led me back to you at last, and we'll be together forever." He then gave her a kiss.  
  
Leena's temper skyrocketed well above the triple digit mark. She grabbed Harry and threw him as if they were wrestling. Harry fell right to the ground, and was out like a light. "Let's go before the Moron King wakes up again."  
  
It was about two hours before Harry regained consciousness. He began looking around, and called, "Leena, where did you get to my love? Why did you leave me here all alone? C'mon baby, what did I ever do to you?"  
  
* * *  
  
While Harry began whining, Leena and the others were heading past the border and towards the capital of Vilyane. Along the way, they encountered a patrol of guards. "Who are you, and what business do you have here in Vilyane?" inquired the leader.  
  
At that moment, Bit ran forward and killed the leader. Jack followed suit, and attacked some of the other soldiers. Chris Tasker ran towards one group while her sister Kelly took on another. Everyone else split up and began killing soldiers right and left.  
  
It wasn't long before they'd killed all of the guards. For safety reasons, they hid the bodies in a deep ditch, and then sneaked through the woods. In a few hours, they'd arrived at a town. Since they were all tired, the eleven warriors decided to stay at an inn.  
  
"This is the village I went to after the caravan was attacked," commented Bit, "The doctor said that it is two weeks walking back to the capitol city from here."  
  
"So we should expect a long campaign. The pay from the Jatiran Royal Family better be good for all the work I'm doing," grumbled Brad.  
  
Naomi replied, "Just get some sleep. We need a fresh nights sleep if we're to get to the capitol as fast as we can."  
  
Everyone saw her reasoning, and they went to bed. Before going to sleep, Bit looked at Leena's prone form and smiled. He wouldn't ever let her get hurt, that beautiful face of hers would never be scarred. Even if he had to give his own life to assure that.  
  
- - - -  
  
A little fluff in the last paragraph. Well, we added the Lightning Team, teased Harry, got Brad talking about money, and set up the journey to the capitol all in one chapter. Dang, I must be charmed. 


	10. Imperial Capital

Imperial Capital  
  
After two weeks of traveling, the young warriors finally arrived at the Imperial Capital of Vilyane. Once there, Bit and Leena were sent in for reconiscence in order to find a way into the castle. They began talking to people and asking their opinions on the empire as well.  
  
The duo soon learned that many people in the slums loathed their emperor, while the people living in the grand upper city were all totally supportive of him. But the greatest thing they could find was the small run down house in the southern part of the slums. That's where they met the rebel forces that were plotting against the empire.  
  
"Greetings," said the green haired woman who they met at the rebels' hideout, "My name is Pierce. I'm a former Lieutenant in the Imperial army, but left after it became corrupt. In fact, all of us higher ups in the rebellion are." She gestured to an older man who was reading the paper, and a young man who was playing solitaire. "I'd like you to meet General Stoller, and his nephew Sanders. The three of us run things around here."  
  
"It's always good to see new faces. What's your name?" inquired Stoller.  
  
Bit replied, "My name is Bit Cloud. And this here is Leena Toros."  
  
"Of Jatiran!" exclaimed the trio of rebels.  
  
"Yes," said Leena, "How about we get our other friends in here. We'll help you take down the empire if you want."  
  
* * *  
  
"So you're the famous General Stoller. I've heard many things about your competence in battle from my father and my superiors," stated Leon.  
  
"Yes," replied the general, "You see, ever since about a year ago, the emperor has been acting weird. He's lost the caring for his citizens, and only wants more territory and more money. The three of us left the army after we found out about his changes in behavior. Once we saw the extent of what these changes were doing to the empire, we began the rebellion. So will you help us?"  
  
Bit exclaimed, "Of course we will. We need to rescue anyone who was captured from Jatiran and get the Imperial Army out of their capitol anyway. Since our goals are the same, I see no reason why we can't work together."  
  
* * *  
  
Some time later, the eleven heroes were crawling through the sewers under the capital. Stoller had found a secret passage into the dungeons from the sewers, and had told them about it. He figured that if they were looking to free any prisoners taken in the raid on Jatiran, they'd best do that now. When the emperor realized his prisoners had escaped, he'd send his guards out on a search. With security down, it would be an easy thing to sneak into the castle and defeat the emperor in combat.  
  
"It's smelly here, why do we have to walk in this slop?" groaned Fara.  
  
"Princess, it was your idea to come on this venture," reminded Jamie, "You could have stayed nice, safe, and clean in the castle."  
  
Fara lobbed some of the sewer slime at him. "Well, how was I supposed to know we'd have to walk in something smellier than monster carcasses roasting in the hot sun for a few days?" That comment was met with gagging sounds from all the others.  
  
"Just be grateful we didn't have to bust strait through the front door and slaughter every guard that comes our way," said Jack.  
  
"Actually," admitted Jamie, "She'd probably prefer that. For all of her beauty, intelligence, grace, and kindness, her majesty is one of the most bloodthirsty warriors I've ever met." That comment was met with another ball of goo hurled at him, courtesy of Fara.  
  
* * *  
  
Finally, they arrived at the hidden entrance to the dungeon. It led to a small hole behind a group of barrels that had been carelessly thrown in a corner and never really inspected. Bit hypothesized that an escaping prisoner had dug the tunnel a long time ago, and he'd used the barrels carelessly left around as a concealer. Leena on the other hand believed that the prisoner had put the barrels there himself in order to conceal his tunnel out.  
  
One by one the warriors exited the tunnel. Once inside, they went to the cells. Inside were many fine, strong, and sturdy young men from the Jatiran army. Strewn around the cells were the armor that the soldiers had worn. But there was many more armor pieces than there were men to wear them.  
  
"Help us Leon. The emperor is mad. He's sacrificing the soldiers he captured to some sort of demon. A new one is killed every night. Get us out before we're victims too," begged a soldier.  
  
"Aren't you Jack Cisco?" asked another soldier, "Great, we're definitely saved now."  
  
Bit silenced the man with his finger. "We must be quiet or the guards will here. Now where is the key to your cell?"  
  
The young man pointed to the wall. Bit went to retrieve it, and unlocked the cells and chains keeping the soldiers prisoner. All of the young men began to stretch their arms for pure joy. Then Bit pointed to the hole and they all began to escape. "Split up after you get out," he warned, "Leave the sewer in small groups only. And meet back at the rebel base."  
  
Finally, the last of the soldiers had entered the tunnel. Then came Fara, Jamie, Julianna, Leon, Naomi and Brad. Bit and Leena waited until all their friends had gone in before preparing to escape themselves. But that's when disaster struck.  
  
Just before Leena could enter the tunnel, who should pop out but Harry. "Leeeeeeena!!!!" he screamed, and gave her a big hug.  
  
"Get off me Harry," warned Leena, "Do you want us to get spotted?"  
  
As if on cue, a group of soldiers surrounded the trio of intruders. "Don't move. Surrender immediately and you'll be allowed to live," said the commander. Bit, Leena, and even Harry put there hands in the air, and didn't dare fight back.  
  
- - - -  
  
That's Harry for you, eh? Oh, and we'll meet the emperor and his advisor next chapter. Since he doesn't have any name in the show, I might as well tell you now that the Count is playing the emperor (since sometimes my descriptions, while accurate, aren't enough to draw the conclusion on who it is). 


	11. Great Escape

Great Escape  
  
Bit, Leena, and Harry were all locked in a small cell in the jail, stripped of weapons and armor, and awaiting their audience with the emperor. As expected, the person most upset was the person who'd made the mess in the first place. . .Harry. "Wait till my father here's about this," he complained, "He'll get me out of this jail in no time flat. Then we'll sue them for wrongful imprisonment."  
  
Bit told Harry, "One, we were trespassing, so they have a reason to incarcerate us. And two, we're no longer in Jatiran. The emperor of Vilyane isn't going to listen to a rich merchant in Jatiran whining to let his son out of prison."  
  
"That reminds me Harry, come closer," ordered Leena. When he did so, she got him in a headlock, slapped him in the face, and kicked him in the groin. "That's for alerting the guards with all of your screaming before."  
  
"Oh Leena, if you wish to hit me to take out your frustrations, I'll be your personal stress relief agent," he exclaimed.  
  
"With pleasure," smirked Leena. She then knocked Harry across the cell, and went to sit on the bed next to Bit.  
  
"How do you suppose we escape?" she inquired, "We need to get out of here before we're sacrificed like those poor soldiers."  
  
Bit replied, "We'll think of something, I'm just not sure what yet."  
  
At that moment, a group of guards arrived. The leader stepped up and unlocked the cell. "It's time to see the emperor," he told them. The trio was led along with the guards to the main audience chamber on the ground floor of the castle.  
  
Once in the chamber, they were brought before the emperor and his advisors. The emperor was an elderly man with white hair styled similar to Naomi's, dark glasses covering his eyes, and expensive robes. He sat on the throne with a young man with golden hair and flowing black robes standing next to him. On either side of the dais where the throne sat was one of his other advisors. One had dark gray hair with streaks of white in it, while the other had black hair and wore these ridiculous sunglasses.  
  
"Welcome to Vilyane, Jatiran spies," began the emperor, "I see some real catches here tonight. We have the daughter of the Toros family, and the son of the Champ family. You may fetch a hefty ransom, if your parents survived my assault on Jatiran that is." He began to laugh.  
  
"Why you," yelled Leena. She tried to lunge at Emperor Vilyane, but her chains kept her from going very far.  
  
The emperor continued his speech. "If I can't get in touch with your parents soon.then I'm afraid that I'll have to do to you what I did to the soldiers you saw earlier. I'm betting that you're the reason they got away from the dungeon. In the meantime, you three will return there. I've got more important things to worry about, like those darn rebels."  
  
"Let's go," said a guard. The three captives were then taken back to their cells.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, Bit awoke to a scraping sound. He saw Leena hard at work at the lock on their cell. She was using her favorite hairpin as a lockpick, in hopes of freeing them. Soon, the lock was open, but the hairpin was completely wrecked.  
  
"Leena, wasn't that your favorite pin? Why did you break it?" inquired Bit.  
  
"It was my favorite," replied Leena, "It was left to me by my mother. But I'm sure she's much more worried about me than the clip. Besides, if we want to survive, some sacrifices must be made." "You're right. Harry, get the lead out. Do you want to be fed to a demon?" called Bit. He and Leena hastily grabbed their weapons and armor and put them on.  
  
"N. . .n. . .no," stuttered Harry. They all then went down the tunnel that the guards had lazily forgotten to cover up after the afternoon.  
  
* * *  
  
"How dare you make someone of my stature travel this smelly tunnel," whined Harry.  
  
"Would you rather us leave you up there with the soldiers?" asked Bit, "I'm sure the emperor really wants the ransom money from your father. Or he'll throw you to a demon." When Harry shook his head, Bit replied, "I thought so."  
  
Leena told him, "You didn't seem to have any problems coming through the tunnel when you got us all caught by the Imperial Guard."  
  
"That was because I was coming to see you pumpkin," stated Harry.  
  
Suddenly, a giant sewer monster appeared. Instantly, it lunged for Leena. Bit - - using his lightning fast reflexes - - jumped in front of the attack and slashed the beast. But his arm was severely hurt in the process. Leena's eyes suddenly flared up with anger. She screamed, "EXPLOSIVE FLARE." At once, a pillar of fire covered the monster, and exploded outwards - - not hitting the trio for some unknown reason. Leena then ran to Bit's side to check on him.  
  
The wound was pretty large. Leena could see that he was in dire need of healing. So she concentrated, and began using the only healing spell she knew, Life Water. But it wasn't enough to help heal the wound.  
  
"Bit, please don't leave me," cried Leena, "I don't want to be left alone anymore. I.I.I love you Bit Cloud." With those words, she began to cry. One of her tears fell down, heading for her friend's wounded body.  
  
At that moment, something extraordinary happened. Leena's tear multiplied and became a rainstorm that cascaded over the wound. Instantly, it began to glow. Leena knew what was happening, in her despair, she'd learned to harness the power of the ultimate healing spell, Life Rain.  
  
Bit's wound began to heal, and he sat up. Leena smiled, and yelled, "Bit, you're ok!" Then she gave him a big hug.  
  
Bit smiled at the young girl laying in his arms. "I love you too Leena," he whispered.  
  
- - - -  
  
Any similarities between this and the end of Beauty and the Beast are purely coincidental. I just thought it would be sweet for Leena to save Bit with her tears. We'll show Harry's reaction next time. 


	12. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch  
  
While Bit, Leena, and Harry were trying to escape the emperor's clutches, the others were back at the rebellion base. Everyone figured the duo had been caught - - although no one had seen the annoying pest running through the sewers. So they had been planning their rescue mission.  
  
"With this many soldiers, we can run right through the front gate," exclaimed Julianna, "Trust me, it's the only way to save our friends."  
  
"Finally, some real action," said a starry eyed Fara. But then Jamie gave her the look, and she stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Stoller told the warriors, "It's settled then, we leave immediately and march on the Imperial Castle. Hopefully, we're not to late. . ."  
  
* * *  
  
It wasn't too much longer before they had arrived at the castle. No one much cared to mess with several dozen armed soldiers, so even the die- hard fanatics were hiding in their houses. That was just fine with Naomi. She didn't much feel like hurting civilians if it could be helped.  
  
But at the castle, there stood a sizeable amount of soldiers. They had just found out that the three prisoners had picked the lock on their cell and had escaped. Not wanting the two groups to unite, they had prepared a search for the trio. Of course, no one had counted on running into the other warriors and the rebel forces at once.  
  
"Charge men and women of the resistance!" screamed out Stoller. At once, the fighting began with neither side showing any hope of giving in.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh Bit," whispered Leena, "Do you really mean it?" But Bit's gentle smile and loving embrace had already told her everything she needed to know. It was at that moment that he pulled her close and gave her the kiss she had been longing for.  
  
But the romantic mood was broken when Harry began yelling, "How dare you take my girl away from me you filthy swine. Fight me Bit, we'll see whose worthy of Leena's love and affection. I hope you know, this time I won't lose."  
  
Leena knocked him over the head with Selena. Then she began to drag him through the tunnel. "Challenge Bit on your own time, not when we're neck deep in the enemy's stronghold. Jeez, I guess his intelligence level is even lower than I thought initially." They continued on their path, and soon arrived at the hidden exit to the sewers.  
  
* * *  
  
Meanwhile, the fighting was going on back at the castle. Soldiers from both sides lay wounded and dying. But luckily, Jamie and Fara were experts at healing magic - - elves were trained in powerful magic since birth. So most of the rebel soldiers were going to survive even the heaviest wounds.  
  
One of those hurt was Leon. He had received a pike to the soft part of his chest where his armor offered no protection. Surprisingly, the first person on hand wasn't one of the elves, but Julianna. Leon was amazed that the Berserker even took five seconds out of a battle - - since that was the favorite activity of her race - - let alone tend to his wounds.  
  
"Leon, please. . ." she begged, "I couldn't stand it if something happens to you." Leon's eyes opened wide. Was the young woman who'd showed such reluctance to their quest and company now worrying over his own safety. "Julie, I didn't know you cared. Don't worry, I've had worse in my life, and I'm still here, ain't I?" he told her.  
  
While Leon was having his tender moment with Julianna, Brad and Naomi were fighting the enemy in another area by the castle. The duo moved like lightning, and even the Lightning Squad was sitting up and taking notice. Everyone noticed that they always seemed to stick together whenever there was a fight in progress. The few people closest to the two had already figured out the reason why, at least most of the reason.  
  
"I couldn't believe it was you when we found you by the gates of my village," commented Naomi, "I haven't even had the chance to thank you for what you did for me last year without the others overhearing our conversation."  
  
"Why are you thanking me now, we still can be overheard here?" inquired Brad.  
  
Naomi answered, "We may lose our lives on the battlefield today, and I wanted to tell you in case that happened. I've loved you ever since you saved my life when I fell in the rapids. It's because of you I became a mercenary, because of my hope to see you again."  
  
Brad smiled. "I love you too, Naomi. Don't worry, we'll make it through this battle alive. And then, we can be together forever."  
  
Maybe they would have kissed then, if they hadn't been fighting an entire army at the moment. But neither very much felt like dying at the moment. Instead, they turned their attention back to the battle in progress, and killed a few more guards.  
  
Both sides continued their relentless attack. More were wounded, and Jamie and Fara were practically at their limit for their magic. They were being given several bottles of Magi Cola, a drink that could restore MP to the user. But if the rebel's supply ran out, they would be in so deep, it would take an army of search and rescue dogs to dig them out.  
  
At that moment, the entrance to the sewers began to shake a bit. Leon turned his attention towards it as it began to open. Out came Bit, Leena, and a still very dazed Harry. They - - well, Bit and Leena at least - - looked ready and raring to go and tackle the emperor.  
  
"Need some help you guys?" asked Bit.  
  
"The more the merrier," replied Pierce, "We must attain victory or the world will be doomed to annihilation at the hands of the demon."  
  
- - - -  
  
I was originally going to have someone standing on the manhole cover and be thrown off when Leena and Bit opened it, but then I remembered that Harry was with them, and I had no other expendable force to put on top of it. Lots of fluff added to the battle scene in this one. I've always noticed that danger seems to bring out romance in not just games, but anime and movies too. 


	13. Inner Sanctoms

Inner Sanctums  
  
Right after reuniting with Bit and Leena - - and Harry, but no one really cared about him - - the rebels began to gain ground quickly. The heroes figured it had something to do with the legendary weapons and armors in the possession of Bit and Leena. And in fact, they weren't that far off. The armor was extremely strong for its light appearance. It also aided in running, making the wearers much faster. And the weapons gave them both a great boost in physical and magical strength.  
  
Soon afterwards, all of the guards were slain. The warriors took that opportunity to sneak through the gates of the castle, and begin heading for the emperor's rooms. While the main rebel forces, the Lightning Squad, and Harry stayed near the entrance in case a patrol unit came back to the castle, they sent in a small unit of eight soldiers. As you may have already guessed, this unit consisted of Jamie, Fara, Leon, Julianna, Brad, Naomi, Bit, and Leena.  
  
They moved stealthily along the corridors, trying not to engage in battle and kill anyone not part of the plot. It was deduced that, since it was late, the emperor would be in his rooms reading or planning his next conquest. So that's where the search began.  
  
On the way, they ran into the gray haired advisor and the one with the goofy glasses. The warriors hid at once and listened in on their conversation. They were hoping to get some tactical information to use against the emperor.  
  
"Hey Altile," began the one with the glasses, "Have you noticed that the emperor isn't acting like himself lately? I don't think he's sick or anything."  
  
Altile replied, "You're absolutely right Polta. Ever since that man named Fury joined us, he's been acting differently than usual."  
  
"Princess Sara even ran away from the castle. She's the most levelheaded individual I know. That shows me how serious the situation is. I guess she was worried for her son Vega, what with her father's new behavior," Polta commented.  
  
About that time, the duo shut up and walked on by. With all of these new developments, the young warriors were now sure that they were facing a demon manipulating the emperor. When they were 100% sure not to be spotted, they ran towards the emperor's chambers.  
  
It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination. Inside the chamber, lay the emperor. But something wasn't right. He wasn't moving or breathing at all. Someone had killed Emperor Vilyane before they could even get there.  
  
"Hmmm. . .I guess I've found my scapegoats," said a sinister voice from the doorway. When Bit and the others turned, they saw the man with the flowing golden hair. But he wasn't in his flowing robes like he'd been back in the main chamber. Instead he had on pure black armor with rubies imbedded onto it. His gauntlets and boots were the same way. In his hands, he held a long sword with a black blade and hilt, and a ruby imbedded on the hilt.  
  
"Oh no!" exclaimed Fara, "It's the legendary blade Deathsaur. The demon used it in his killing spree thousands of years ago."  
  
The man stated, "A Berserker. Hmmm. . .you're descended of the brother of the despicable warrior Liger. And the elf man is definitely the great-great-great-great grandson of that wench Florinda. But these two with the ancient armors. . .they definitely have the scent of Gabriel and Lesalia, but neither of those fools left a descendant, or had any living relatives. Could just be the armors playing tricks on me in order to make me fear you all."  
  
"Who are you?" asked Bit. "You do have a right to know before you die," he told them, "My name is Fury. I became an advisor here in order to find the legendary Orb of Power, and the flying fortress Backdraft. Now that I've stolen the orb from Jatiran, and know how to activate the fortress, the emperor is unneeded. So I disposed of him. No need for competition."  
  
Leena screamed, "Demon! I'm betting you ate the poor souls of the Jatiran soldiers too."  
  
"Quite right little girl. I am a demon, and the soldiers made quite a delicious meal. Their bodies are also useful as my undead slaves," Fury cackled. He snapped his fingers, and a group of zombies entered the room. Each of them had pure red eyes and pale white skin. They moved in on the shocked heroes, and restrained them before they came back to their senses.  
  
"You too will become my nourishment," Fury told them, "I need a large amount of energy to revive the fortress. So I devoured your soldiers. Once the fortress raises, I will again be weak. Then, you will all be the ones to restore my power, and join my army."  
  
Fury snapped his fingers, and suddenly the ground began to shake. Outside of the window, they could see something rising from the lake. It was a huge castle that immediately floated up into the air. It rose above the clouds where no man could reach it.  
  
The demon looked at his victims. Immediately, he turned towards Leena and grabbed her arms. "You will do nicely for my first meal," he told her, "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt at all, and when I'm done, you'll be my immortal undead slave." He leaned in closer and put his mouth to hers, preparing to feast on the girl's soul.  
  
But the end didn't come as anyone expected. A large ax with a spear point on top slashed across Fury's back. A deep gash opened in the demon's body. He dropped Leena, and turned towards his new attacker, hoping to be able to get a meal out of him.  
  
"That was for my father," a female voice said. Everyone turned to find a young woman with long purple hair and blue eyes. With her was a legion of guards. The guards began to engage the demon, and his zombies joined the fray. The girl turned to the heroes. "I'm Princess Sara of Vilyane. Quickly, while he is busy, we must escape. We all know that you eight are the best hope for the world."  
  
With no other option, the heroes ran out of the castle with Sara. About the time they got to the courtyard, a light flew out of the emperor's room, and headed for the fortress. They all knew it had to be Fury, and wondered how to reach him.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, now what do they do? Defeat the demon, of course. This is another great cliché, the evil advisor who kills the emperor. And the advisor either manipulating the emperor or killing him early and putting a fake in his place. What's with the similarities between Bit and Leena and Gabriel and Lesalia? Well, I'm ripping of a game called Xenogears for this one. Wanna guess what it is? 


	14. Luna

Luna  
  
"You see, when my father hired that man named Fury, he completely changed," admitted Sara, "So I fled the city with my son Vega, and left him in the care of Imperial Scientist Dr. Layon. Then I came back hoping to save my father. But I was too late."  
  
They were all back at the rebel base - - since the castle needed obvious repairs - - discussing their next more against Fury. No one quite knew how to get to the fortress, since the airship technology had been completely destroyed after the ancient war with the demon.  
  
Sara took a small book out of her pocket. "It says here that in ancient times, a dragon named Diana helped the heroes get up to the fortress. Maybe the dragon in the caves to the west will help you just like that dragon did in ancient times."  
  
"Maybe she will, it's worth a shot anyway. What do we have to lose?" inquired Bit.  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, the warriors set out for the cave. Jack had taken a wound to his head, and was relaxing. The Taskers were helping to take care of their leader. And no one wanted Harry to join them on the excursion, since all he'd do was try to challenge Bit to a duel or kiss Leena - - which would slow them down greatly since they'd have to wait for him to recover from Leena's pounding. So the team was down to eight, and will remain that way for the rest of the journey.  
  
It was only a few hours walk from the city. Once there, the group set out a picnic lunch before entering the cave, hoping to be as strong as they could in case the dragon turned out to be unfriendly. Bit remembered his encounter with the Stone Dragon, and shuddered. That led him back to Scott, and he wondered what his old friend was doing now.  
  
After lunch they packed up their blanket and the utensils, and entered the dark cave. Leena cast a weak fire spell over a long branch to use for a torch. She made one for every member of the group - -except Jamie and Fara, since they needed two hands to wield a bow - - to carry in the hand that wasn't holding the weapon.  
  
About a half-hour later, they came to a door. It seemed to be inscribed with a message in an ancient language. Leena leaned forward, and began to read it. "Here sleeps Luna, the Dragon of Gold. If you wish to wake her from her long sleep, your hearts must be pure and your intentions true. If not, you will be devoured by the dragon's fangs."  
  
"What's this all mean?" asked Bit.  
  
Leena told him, "It means that we better have a good excuse for interrupting her beauty sleep. Men don't understand how cranky a woman gets when that happens. A human woman is liable to go into a berserk rage if that happens. Imagine that on a dragon."  
  
"How did you read that?" inquired Fara, "It's an ancient language that only elves know, and only because we catalogue things like this just incase."  
  
"Don't ask me. Let's just go visit Sleeping Beauty in there," said Leena.  
  
* * *  
  
Inside, they saw the mighty dragon sleeping on a large flat rock. Her scales were pure gold, and she shone with the light from the sun that came in through a little hole in the cave roof. When the dragon snored, the whole room shook.  
  
Leena approached Luna's sleeping form, and whispered in her ear, "Excuse me. . .Great Golden Dragon. We need your help. A demon is trying to destroy the world from a floating castle. Would you be so kind as to take us there on your back?"  
  
Luna began to stir. Her silver eye opened, and looked upon Leena. She then stood up on her hind legs. Everyone was surprised because the dragon's head reached up to the ceiling.  
  
"Welcome, Lesalia. I am honored to serve you as my mother did so long ago," Luna told her, "And I see you brought Gabriel with you as well. Good, then we stand a chance, now that Fury has come back to life. Only great warriors such as yourselves can do it."  
  
"You mean Fury was the demon who attacked so long ago?!" exclaimed Leena.  
  
Luna inquired, "What is wrong Lesalia, have you lost your memory? I guess you did, considering all that has happened to you and Gabriel."  
  
"My name is Leena, not Lesalia. And he's Bit, not Gabriel. We may not be the legendary warriors who fought against Fury so long ago, but we're willing to take him on. Knowing this, will you still help us out?" asked Leena.  
  
Luna replied, "Of course. And you should know, that you are both Leena and Lesalia."  
  
"I don't get what you're saying," said Leena.  
  
"You are the reincarnation of Lesalia," informed Luna, "And he was Gabriel in a past life. Silly me, I forgot the little detail of not remembering such things."  
  
"I thought reincarnation was a myth," commented Julianna.  
  
Luna told her, "It is and it isn't. You see, my mother was in fact Lesalia's younger sister, who was turned into a dragon by a curse. She never told her sister or anyone else this little fact, so only I know. When Lesalia and Gabriel died, she was distraught. So she used her powers as a dragon in order to allow them to be reincarnated once, hoping to give them a peaceful existence. But sadly, the spell was also cast on Fury, and so he came back to life around the same time. Born into the body of the twin brother of Bit."  
  
"My brother is a demon!?" exclaimed Bit.  
  
Luna quieted the boy down. "Yes, but I will tell you everything you need to know about your past, and about your brother Xavier."  
  
- - - -  
  
I'd like to give a shout out to Paige for getting what was up with Bit and Leena. I just keep on coming with the plot twists. Dang, I mentioned the words Luna, Gold Dragon, and dragon fang in one paragraph. It's a Slayers ref. The main character has a sister named Luna, there's a race of dragons called Gold Dragons, and a gang called the Dragon Fangs is completely obliterated by said main character in episode one. Her name is Lina (same pronunciation as Leena) too. And that wasn't intended. I just saw it when I was finished, and had to comment. 


	15. Past Pain

Past Pain  
  
"You were born under the name Garreth Alexandria in a little village on the border between Vilyane and Jatiran, called Jager," Luna began, "The local priest knew that about that time the scent of a demon had begun to permeate the air, as well as the great light of truth. He had figured out that it had something to do with the twin boys that had just been born, but with no solid proof, he couldn't make any move to hurt either of you - - especially since he feared killing the holy twin instead of the demon."  
  
"So he sold me into slavery instead?" asked Bit.  
  
Luna shook her head. "No. You see, Emperor Vilyane's chief magician also sensed that a demon had been born in the village. So he sent in an attack, hoping to gain control of the demon for his own dark plans. But of course, he captured you instead of Xavier. Your poor mother was heartlessly slaughtered by the soldiers while trying to protect you from them. Once realizing he'd taken the wrong child, the emperor made you a slave."  
  
Bit inquired, "Were my dreams of fire and the attack on a village by Vilyane soldiers a distant memory that was trying to resurface?"  
  
"Yes," replied Luna, "I sent you those dreams hoping to get you to escape from the castle. You see, Xavier had been raised by a group of monsters out in the forest - - as they sensed his demon blood. Early on, his exposure to the beasts caused him to remember his true existence. So he began using his real name after forgetting his birth name. He eventually headed for Vilyane because he knew of the emperor's greed, and attempted to use it for his own intentions. Of course, you all saw the result of that little venture."  
  
Bit's fists clenched with rage. "How soon can we head for the flying fortress Backdraft? Fury will not gain any more power."  
  
"Prepare first Bit," warned Luna, "Haste can cause death in a person. If we're not ready for the fight, Fury will undoubtedly win and the world will be destroyed. You must go first to the blacksmith on the Island of Fire. He will sharpen your weapons so they'll perform at peak capacity. I will take you there on my back. Let's go everyone."  
  
With that, they all got on Luna's back. The dragon roared, and the ceiling opened up like a mechanical door. Then she flew out the opening and headed north to a secluded island. After arriving, Luna let the group down near a small hut. The eight warriors got off and went inside, where they saw an elderly dwarf sitting by his forge.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. Would you be so kind as to fix up our weapons for us? We're going up against a powerful demon, and we want to be in tip top shape," stated Leena.  
  
The dwarf looked up at the warriors. "Sure I will. But first I need you to get me some Orihalcon from the volcano up north. It's a powerful metal filled with magic, and it'll bring out the hidden powers within any weapon. Since I'm so old, I can't go myself."  
  
Bit told the blacksmith, "Of course we will. We'll be right back, so just sit tight."  
  
* * *  
  
They entered the volcano and were surprisingly not incinerated by the flames. But if they ever touched the lava, they received a nasty pain. Jamie and Fara brought up a powerful shield that would allow them to walk over the lava if needed be.  
  
It was a long time before they found the center of the volcano. Sitting in the middle of the room was a huge chunk of Orihalcon. Bit and Leena ran forward in order to pick up the shiny stone. But just then, a deafening roar from the lava interrupted them.  
  
A Firebird soared out of the magma and headed strait for the heroes. Everyone brandished his or her weapons, preparing to strike. Leena immediately let out her most powerful Ice spell Frozen Twilight. This was a summoning spell that called on the Ice Goddess' power to attack an enemy. Since the Firebird was Fire elemental, it was weak against the cold of Ice magic. Seeing what she was doing, Jamie and Fara followed suit with their own Frozen Twilight spells.  
  
Suddenly, the Firebird began spinning towards the group in an attack called Death Spiral. Everyone was severely wounded by the attack. Leena let out a Healing Rain as Bit prepared to strike at the monster. He ran forward, jumped into the air, and hit it in the sensitive area near the bottom of its neck. Instantly, the Firebird fell.  
  
"We did it!" exclaimed Bit, "Now to get back to the old blacksmith's place." He picked up the Orihalcon, and put it in his pocket.  
  
* * *  
  
"Good job. Now I can get to work. It'll take awhile, so stay here the night," said the dwarf. He immediately began working on the weapons.  
  
Later on that night, Bit found Leena outside looking up at the stars. He walked over to her, and sat right down on her left side. Immediately, Leena took her left hand, and intertwined it in his right one. "Couldn't sleep?" Bit asked.  
  
Leena nodded her head. "It's just. . .well, I've been thinking about the battle tomorrow. Do you think we really have a chance against suck awesome power? You saw what Fury is capable of. He was able to take out all of the soldiers Sara sent against him when we all escaped. What makes us think that we'll fare any better?"  
  
Bit told her, "You just need to have faith in yourself. Remember, this is our destiny. We were born around the same time as Fury for a reason, to finish the battle we began all those years ago. We'll make it back, just you wait."  
  
Leena smiled. "Bit," she said, "Will you stay with me forever?"  
  
"Wouldn't have it any other way my love," he replied. Then, Leena leaned forward, and the two of them enjoyed a passionate kiss under the stars.  
  
- - - -  
  
Dang, I sure put a lot of cliches in that one. The subquest that gets you stronger equipment, a talk under the moonlight, even summoning spells. Remember, I'm an RPG fanatic, so I tend to know the things that go into a good one. Meaning I can write a good fantasy AU. 


	16. Floating Fort

Floating Fort  
  
The next day, the old blacksmith had finished the weapon upgrades. He gave them back to their rightful owners with a smile. He also wished them luck on their quest. Then he sat on his front porch and watched the heroes fly away on their dragon.  
  
"This is it then. Those kids are the only chance we have for survival," he stated to himself before returning inside his forge.  
  
* * *  
  
Luna flew higher and higher until she was at the same height as the fortress. Then she flew in closer for a landing in front of it. Once landed, Luna let her passengers off. "I'll wait here for you," she told the heroes, "Come back after killing Fury."  
  
"Ok, Luna, see you later," said Bit.  
  
Leena added, "Don't worry, Fury doesn't stand a chance against those who have the will to survive burning brightly inside of them."  
  
They went through the door and entered the fort. Once inside, they began encountering Fury's zombie slaves. Although they felt sorry for the poor people, the warriors cut them down. A joint consensus had been reached that the people were suffering, and killing them would be their only release from the pain. So no matter how much it hurt, they were forced to partake in the gruesome task of killing their former allies.  
  
"When I get my hands on Fury, he'll pay," cried Leena after they'd killed off the zombies. It hurt her and Leon to have to kill them more than anyone else. After all, these were mostly Jatiran soldiers, people who had once played with the siblings when they were kids. Leon had even been forced to slay his best friend in the whole world.  
  
Bit put his arm around Leena. "I know how you feel," he told her, "We'll avenge them when we find Fury, don't worry Leena."  
  
As they continued onwards, they ran into a large Ogre. It charged at the warriors in a rage, as Ogres tended to do. But it was not as fast as the Firebird-or as hot for that matter-and was slain with Leena's Fire summoning spell-Devil's Incinerator.  
  
"I think the natives are restless," joked Fara, "They're just itching for us to kill them these days. Well, as I always say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."  
  
'That's what I always say,' thought Jamie, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He knew how Fara could get if provoked. She was usually a nice, sweet, and innocent girl, but put her in battle or make her mad and she could be another Leena.  
  
With no more obstacles in their path, the warriors ran on through the fortress. Soon they'd arrived at the main control room. Fury was sitting on his throne, sipping a martini and laughing over his conquest. When he saw the heroes, he let out an evil sounding laugh.  
  
"So, you've finally come Bit and Leena," cackled Fury, "Or should I be calling you Garreth. Or maybe.I should just call you Gabriel and Lesalia."  
  
Bit went for the hilt of his sword. "You will pay for all of your crimes against humanity Fury. Or should I call you Xavier, brother dear."  
  
"Fool, you shouldn't talk like that to me. I am the older of the two of us after all, both physically and spiritually," Fury retorted.  
  
Bit called back, "Yeah, you're physically older. By three minutes no less. How much of a difference can three whole minutes make?"  
  
"Well, I was raised by monsters. They taught me how to fight and kill with relative ease. What were you taught?" Fury inquired.  
  
"I was a slave," yelled Bit, "And since I behaved myself, I was allowed to use a sword and escort the Imperial Caravan. Imperial sword techniques are quite famous and powerful, and I was trained by one of the strongest warriors in the empire."  
  
Fury prepared a comeback, but Leena but in. "If you boys are through with your little sibling rivalry, can we continue the battle?"  
  
"Got carried away, what was I thinking?" asked Bit.  
  
The group immediately began to fight. As a human, Fury was no match for them. Although he had some great magic, and had proven to be a decent hand with a sword, he was still up against eight fighters who had some sort of professional training. Soon he took a powerful hit from one of Leena's spells, and went down. Fury screamed, "If you want to fight, then I'll give you one. May your deaths mark the glorious beginning of my world devoid of human life." With that, a bright light surrounded Fury. It suddenly began to grow bigger and change shape until it resembled that of a giant wingless dragon that stood on its hind legs. Finally, the light died down. When the group saw what Fury had become, they all laughed.  
  
"White! A demon that is white?!" laughed Leena.  
  
Fury yelled, "Silence! I can't help how I was born. Why do you think I'm so determined to destroy humankind? I want to prove to the other demons that I can be a tough guy too. I'll prove it to those fools who laughed at me for ten thousand years." With that, he began to attack with his claws.  
  
Everyone jumped out of the way. Leena immediately used her Light summoning spell, Holy Judgement. "Since Fury is a demon, he's most likely weak against light magic, since demons are all creatures of the darkness. Jamie, Fara, back me up with your light magic."  
  
Catching Leena's drift, Jamie and Fara also used Holy Judgement. The others attacked with their own weapons. Once in awhile, the three mages would also use their weapons in order to save some of their magic power, just incase Fury had any other surprises for them.  
  
Soon Fury prepared to cast the Dark summoning spell, Hades Blast. Around that time, Leena got an idea. She energized Bit's sword with the power of Light with the spell Light Blade. When he slashed Fury again, the demon screamed in agony. Instantly, he fell to the ground, dead.  
  
- - - -  
  
More summoning spells. They're always the most fun spells in an RPG. I am using the natural logic when figuring out a demon's weakness. In any RPG, they are all weak against light. And Fury is supposed to resemble the Berserk Fury. When I thought about it, I realized that Berserk Fury was in white armor, since Vega didn't have anything but the basic components. So I decided to make a joke about a demon in white. I've got one more chapter on the way, but I'd like to know if anyone would like to see a sequel. You see, I'm out of ideas for Zoids fics, since the only other one I've got requires me having certain information for the different races of the world that I only partly have. The sequel may be a long time coming, since I'm devoting my time to some other pet projects of mine. 


	17. Escape

Escape  
  
As soon as Fury fell, Bit sat down on the ground. The demon was turning back into his human form. And he really didn't look too happy about losing.  
  
"How can I lose to a group of pathetic humans?" Fury asked himself, "I am a mighty demon who's slain many over my long life. So why am I now the one facing my death once again? And at the hand of the same two warriors, no less."  
  
Bit told him, "You lost because you gave in to evil. Remember, you were born in a human body. But you gave in to your demon's power, and it consumed you. If you'd just have stayed as Xavier Alexandria instead of becoming Fury, you would have survived."  
  
Suddenly, the fortress began to shake. Fury began to laugh as the warriors wondered what was going on. "When this fortress falls, It'll take all of you with it. I won't have to perish alone, you will all die with me." With that, he took his last breath and died.  
  
"We've got to get out of here or we're all monster pancakes," commented Bit.  
  
"No time for jokes," chided Leena, "Let's return to the entrance. Luna should be waiting for us, and we can blow this Popsicle Stand."  
  
* * *  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of running, the warriors arrived at the exit. As expected, they saw Luna flying around in the air near the fortress. The dragon settled her tail on the floor and motioned for them all to get on. Together they watched the fortress sink into the depths of the ocean, where it would hopefully stay buried forever.  
  
"Finally, it's all over," whispered Leena.  
  
* * *  
  
After landing in Vilyane to give the report, and pick up Harry and the Lightning Squad they all boarded the dragon again for the ride to Jatiran. The king was pleased at all of the warriors' hard work that he rewarded them handsomely. Brad had gigantic dollar signs lighting up his eyes at the sight of all the money.  
  
Then Luna began taking everyone home. Leon, Harry, Jack and the Taskers were easy, they just stayed in Jatiran, although Bit and Leena were going along since Luna only listened to either one of them. Then, she dropped off Jamie and Fara. Next, she took Naomi and Brad to a popular mercenary hangout where they began to look for a new job-the war was over so Jatiran had no need for mercenaries. Finally, she took Julianna back to the Village of Berserkers. But surprisingly, she told her grandfather that she wanted to go to Jatiran to be with Leon. So she was taken back there right before Luna made one last stop for Bit and Leena.  
  
They stopped off at Jager Village. In the past sixteen years, it had completely rebuilt. Bit ran into the village, hoping to be recognized. Surprisingly, he was.  
  
"So you have returned Garreth. You look so like your father," stated the elder, "But what has become of your brother Xavier."  
  
"Dead," replied Bit.  
  
The priest said, "May the boy rest in peace."  
  
Bit didn't say anything. He suspected the priest knew who Fury really was, but didn't want to upset the elder. So he decided not to bring it up. He introduced Leena to the people of the village, even though he was just meeting them himself, and went to visit his parents' grave. There he laid a yellow rose, his mother's favorite flower, and said a prayer.  
  
The next day, as they prepared to go, he heard a voice calling out his name. Bit turned to see Scott running up the path to the village. "Bit, I heard from Princess Sara that you were born in this village, so I decided to come visit you. How was your adventure?"  
  
"Just fine," Bit replied, "But I'm not staying in this village. I have to return to Jatiran with Leena, since I am her bodyguard."  
  
"Do you love the girl? If so, you really should tell her," Scott chided.  
  
Bit replied, "I have told her. But I don't think I'm quite ready for marriage yet. Neither does Leena. We plan to wait about a year or two, and make sure our love is still there. Last thing we need is to realize that we made a mistake, and we weren't meant to be more than friends. I wouldn't want to make Leena miserable."  
  
"Still.don't forget to show her how you feel. Otherwise, you just might be the one to cause your love to fade away into obscurity," commented Scott.  
  
* * *  
  
Of course, Bit's love for Leena never did fade. He eventually proposed to her about three years later over a candlelight dinner. They were married in a splendid fashion a year after the proposal. By then, Bit and Leena were twenty years old. Everyone they'd met on their adventures came to the wedding, like the famous heroes before them.  
  
Jamie and Fara had been married for about a year before this, and Brad and Naomi were still preparing theirs. The only ones without plans were Leon and Julianna. But that soon changed. While enjoying a beautiful dinner at Bit and Leena's reception, Leon got down on one knee, and proposed to her. Everyone in the whole hall clapped when this happened.  
  
The only person in this story who was not happy was Harry. He was being forced to marry a Vilyane noblewoman in order for his father to get in with the higher ups of Vilyane. In doing this, the merchant hoped to increase his profit tenfold. But Harry hadn't wanted to marry any girl but Leena. He ended up spending the rest of his life completely miserable, at his own doing.  
  
They say that love is quite a funny thing. It has the power to quell evil demons, wake sleeping princesses, and control someone who went in too deep. But on the flipside, it can be used to heal the pain of our worldly existence. And in the case of these two young warriors, their love was able to bring peace to a world in utter turmoil.  
  
- - - -  
  
Well, as usual, I'd like to thank a few people. First, the makers of Zoids for the characters I'm borrowing (all but Julianna, Fara, Scott and Fury to some extend are theirs). Second, to the makers of Slayers, since I went a little postal with the Slayers refs in this story. Third, Squaresoft for the little Xenogears bit I added in, as well as some of the Final Fantasy twists. Fourth, to any other anime and RPG creators that I borrowed twists from, but forgot their names. And finally, to my best friend Dan, who got me into Zoids in the first place. Good luck in college Dan. 


End file.
